Almond Sugar Cookies and Hot Dog Buns

Today is the first days of school for kids in our area.  I always made cookies for my kids to eat when they came home on the first day and these were always a favorite.

Almond Flavored Sugar Cookies

1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup butter
2 teaspoons of almond extract
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 can or roll of almond paste
2 cups of flour.

Combine wet ingredients until creamy then add dry ingredients. I use a 2 tablespoon ice cream scoop and place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet. When it is as hot as it is here, I place them in the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes before baking. I like them to stay mounded and not flatten out and chilling them does the trick.

Bake them at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. You don't really want them to brown. They should just be set. Allow them to rest on the cookie sheets for about 5 minutes then transfer them to a wire rack to cool.

While they are cooling make this simple icing:

4 cups confectioner sugar
1/2 stick of butter
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 tablespoons of milk

I dip the tops in decorating sugar.

I also made some hot dog buns.  My family loves hot dogs.  We don't eat them very often so when we do, I like to have good buns.  This recipe makes the best buns.

2 T. sugar
2 T. rapid rise yeast
2 C. milk
2 T. oil
2 tsp. salt
6 C. flour

Mix everything together and knead until you have a smooth ball of dough.  Cover it and let it rise until doubled.  Dump it on the counter and divide it into three pieces.

Then divide them into three's.

Roll and shape them into hot dog shaped rolls. Cover them and let them rise for about 30 minutes.

I made some for hamburgers too.  Brush with a beaten egg white and sprinkle with whichever topping you like.  I used 'everything' bagel topping.

Bake them at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes until they turn golden.  These freeze very well.